Political Observations
Thank you very much for the link to the nova program. Excellent background information.
First a question about John Bourque: Does anyone have a bio on Bourque. It would help to understand his credentials for the uphill battle with the government.
Political observations on Kryron:
Bourque has tipped over the whole field of beehives in the field of protective armor. First he revealed what is usually classified information by showing the vulnerabilities of current armor. Vulnerabilities are classified at least Secret and usually above. Bourque, probably naively, got public press on his new discovery before the government could shut him up.
BGen. Kelly is in a most difficult situation. He has authorized an LRIP contract for a new plastic helmet and then some guy from Podunk USA comes up with something much better. I am sure he is asking a lot of questions about Bourque and his material. Kelly is not going to permit civilian personnel (police, FBI, etc.) to have better armor than his military troops! In the case of civil disturbance or civil war his troops would be essentially outgunned. In addition, if Kryron got out of the US his troops would be at a real disadvantage. That is not going to happen. Kelly has the power to stall Bourque until this scenario is worked out. It is not surprising that certification is delayed.
Cancelling the existing LRIP contract is expensive in dollars but could be career limiting for Kelly if he is wrong. Kelly would have to find significant dollars to fund Bourque Industries. This money is very hard to come by in any year but especially in today’s situation.
Add to this the risk to the Lt. Col who manages the current new LRIP contract. I have personally seen a superior product rejected because a favorite son, who was only a major, did not want to lose his program. If you have contacts in the right places the process can be manipulated for whatever outcome is desired.
Kelly is going to make sure that going with Kryron is absolutely the right decision before anyone makes a move. This is going to take time for government staffing and testing. The military does not move without detailed plans, extensive data, and a lot of expert recommendations.
For other applications the military will most likely “permit’ Kryron use in civilian applications. Kelly may require perhaps an 80% Kryron solution for civilian use where the vulnerabilities are well known. 100% Kryron fabric in the civilian world would lead to clandestine manufacturing of armor by the bad guys. The potential of Kryron falling into the wrong hands is a risk the military is going to closely evaluate and find a way to control. Any use of Kryron in civilian applications will most likely require a known military countermeasure.
It looks like Bourque is doing everything right but he has a real uphill climb given the politics. Stock investors are not part of the consideration!
Bourque must be very frustrated with the whole process. He most likely does not understand how the government works and is expecting that progress is logical. It is not! It is 90+% political. Kryron appears to be too good. Evolution of products normally goes in small baby steps. A giant leap always causes problems with the status quo.
So, I expect that certification has been put on hold for now while Kelly and company sort things out. I could be way off on this but my experience with folks at the Kelly level seems to be holding true for Kryron.
Hats off to Bourque for “damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead”. He got a few good shots off before he was captured by the establishment. I fully expect that Bourque will do very well in the long run.
The University of Arizona should consider Bourque for an honorary Phd in chemistry. It would be well deserved and they have certainly given them for less accomplishment.